U.S. patent number 6,260,761 [Application Number 09/527,651] was granted by the patent office on 2001-07-17 for system and method for accurately dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy.
Invention is credited to Max J. Peoples, Jr..
United States Patent |
6,260,761 |
Peoples, Jr. |
July 17, 2001 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ( Reexamination Certificate
) ** |
System and method for accurately dispensing prescriptions in a
pharmacy
Abstract
A device and method is provided for converting product-specific
identification numbers associated with bar code indicia on
pharmaceutical products to an industry standard identification
number. The process involves reading a bar code indicia, converting
the indicia into an input string and standardizing the input string
by means of adding or subtracting characters in accordance with
rules based on the bar code type and length of the input string. By
means of the invention pharmaceutical products of two different
sources may be compared to determine if they contain the same drug
as determined by the standard identification number. The device can
include a removable member for interchanging and updating bar code
indicia information rather than reprogramming the device.
Inventors: |
Peoples, Jr.; Max J. (Columbus,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
22190565 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/527,651 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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085279 |
May 27, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
235/462.07;
235/375 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K
7/14 (20130101); G16H 20/13 (20180101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06K
7/14 (20060101); G08C 021/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;235/462.01,462.07,462.12,375,380,494 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Frech; Karl D.
Assistant Examiner: St. Cyr; Daniel
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rader, Fishman, Grauer &
McGarry, an Office of Rader, Fishman & Grauer PLLC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/085,279, filed May 27, 1998, which claims priority on U.S.
application Ser. No. 60/048,124, filed May 30, 1997.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for accurately dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy
comprising:
a processing unit;
a reader operably interconnected to the processing unit, at least
one of the reader and the processing unit adapted to detect and
read indicia on a pharmaceutical product source container
containing a pharmaceutical product; and
a converter operably interconnected to at least one of the
processing unit and the reader for converting at least one of a
manufacturer and a product indicia on the pharmaceutical product
source container into an NDC number;
whereby when the converter converts the at least one of a
manufacturer and a product indicia on a pharmaceutical product
source container containing a pharmaceutical product into an NDC
number, the indicia is standardized to an NDC number to ensure
accuracy during the dispensation of a prescription for a product
corresponding to the pharmaceutical product in the container having
the same NDC number.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the reader comprises a
scanner.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the indicia comprises a bar
code.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the converter further comprises a
database containing at least one table for converting the read
indicia into an NDC number.
5. The system of claim 4 and further comprising means for storing a
first indicia and a second indicia and further comprising means for
comparing the first indicia and the second indicia after both have
been converted to NDC numbers by the converter.
6. The system of claim 5 and further comprising an alarm device for
alerting an operator of the system if the an NDC number
representing the first indicia does not match an NDC number
representing the second indicia.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the processing unit, reader and
converter are contained in a single housing.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia comprises a bar
code.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the converter further comprises a
database containing at least one table for converting the read
indicia into an NDC number.
10. The system of claim 1 and further comprising means for storing
a first indicia and a second indicia and further comprising means
for comparing the first indicia and the second indicia after both
have been converted to NDC numbers by the converter.
11. The system of claim 10 and further comprising an alarm device
for alerting an operator of the system if the an NDC number
representing the first indicia does not match an NDC number
representing the second indicia.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit, reader and
converter are contained in a single housing.
13. A method of accurately dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy
having a computerized prescription dispensing system including a
reader and having an inventory of pharmaceutical products including
the steps of:
receiving a prescription for a patient identifying a desired
pharmaceutical product and a desired dosage of the desired
pharmaceutical product;
entering first data representative of the prescription into the
dispensing system;
converting the first data into a first NDC number;
retrieving the desired pharmaceutical product source container from
the inventory, said pharmaceutical product source container having
at least one of a manufacturer and a product indicia;
reading the at least one of a manufacturer and a product indicia
from the desired pharmaceutical product source container with the
reader to convert the indicia into second data representative of
the at least one of a manufacturer and a product indicia;
converting the second data into a second NDC number; and
comparing the first NDC number with the second NDC number.
14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of
alerting an operator of the pharmacy if the first NDC number does
not equal the second NDC number.
15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the step of
dispensing the prescription to the patient if the first NDC number
equals the second NDC number.
16. The method of claim 15 and further comprising the step of
printing a label describing the prescription for application to a
container containing the dispensed prescription.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the steps of scanning and
converting to the first and second NDC numbers and the step of
comparing the first and second NDC numbers are performed internally
of at least one of the computerized prescription dispensing system
and the reader.
18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising the step of
verifying the correct amount of the desired pharmaceutical product
has been dispensed to the patient in accordance with the desired
dosage.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first data is provided on a
container used for a previously-dispensed prescription a refill
label on a previously-dispensed patient refill bottle.
20. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of
dispensing the prescription to the patient if the first NDC number
equals the second NDC number.
21. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of
printing a label describing the prescription for application to a
container containing the dispensed prescription.
22. The method of claim 13 wherein the steps of scanning and
converting to the first and second NDC numbers and the step of
comparing the first and second NDC numbers are performed internally
of at least one of the computerized prescription dispensing system
and the reader.
23. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of
verifying the correct amount of the desired pharmaceutical product
has been dispensed to the patient.
24. The method of claim 13 wherein the first data is scanned from a
bar code used for a previously-dispensed prescription.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system and method for accurately
dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy including a conversion of at
least one piece of data into a pharmaceutical standard NDC
number.
2. Description of Related Art
Universal Product Code (UPC) symbols arc displayed on a myriad of
products throughout the country. Often, the UPC symbol is displayed
in a "bar code" format, whereby an intermittent pattern of
alternating black and white vertical lines of varying widths
signifies a string of alphanumeric characters. Bar codes serve as a
language which functions to place the string of characters into a
machine-readable form. In addition, bar codes have a number of
formats which typically must be determined before a machine can
read a bar code. FIG. 1 shows examples of different types of bar
codes with the generally-accepted name of the type of bar code
shown directly above the bar code.
UPC symbols, in the form of bar codes, are commonly displayed on
all kinds of products, including those in the pharmaceutical
industry such as medicine containers. FIGS. 2-5 show examples of
medicine containers which have been provided with UPC symbols by a
product source, such as a manufacturer or distributor. FIG. 2 shows
a bottle 10 having a label 12 provided with bar code indicia 14
thereon. FIG. 3 shows a box 16 having a sidewall 18 provided with
bar code indicia 20 thereon. FIG. 4 shows a shrink wrapped package
22 of multiple bottles 10 having an upper surface 24 on which a
label 26 provided with bar code indicia 28 thereon has been
affixed. FIG. 5 shows a carton 30 having a label 32 provided with
bar code indicia 34 thereon.
Bar codes are typically read by a device called a "scanner." An
example of a system which includes a scanner is shown in FIG. 6.
The system, shown generally by reference numeral 36, comprises a
computer 38 and a scanner 40 interconnected by a conduit 42. The
computer 38 generally comprises a processing unit 44, a keyboard 46
and a monitor 48. It will be understood that the monitor 48 and the
processing unit 44 are interconnected in a manner well known in the
art. The conduit 42 comprises a Y-shaped cable having first, second
and third portions 50, 52 and 54, respectively, each provided with
a suitable connector 56 at a distal end.
The scanner 40 is typically interconnected intermediate the
keyboard 46 and the processing unit 44 by the conduit 42. For
example, the connector 56 on the first portion 50 is interconnected
to a suitable socket (not shown) on the scanner 40. The connector
56 on the second portion 52 is interconnected to a suitable socket
58 on the keyboard 46. The connector 56 of the third portion 54 is
interconnected to a suitable socket (not shown) on the processing
unit 44.
Thus, signals can be provided to the processing unit 44 by either
the keyboard 46 through the portions 50-54 or by the scanner 40
through the portions 50 and 54. FIG. 7 shows the operation of the
scanner 40. The scanner 40 typically includes an illumination
emitting device therein, such as a laser or intense light, which is
actuatable by a trigger (not shown). When the trigger is depressed,
a beam 60 is oscillated across a bar code 62. desired to be read.
The bar code 62 is converted to an alphanumeric signal by the
scanner 40 and sent through the conduit 42 to the processing unit
44. Because the scanner 40 is interconnected intermediate the
keyboard 46 and the processing unit 44 and is able to generate
alphanumeric characters, the scanner 40 acts as a "second
keyboard," providing alphanumeric input to the processing unit
44.
As shown in FIGS. 2-5, bar codes in the form of UPC symbols are
marked on packaging for medicine and other pharmaceuticals. With
continuing pressure to reduce health care costs there is a need to
use technology to improve the quality and accuracy of
pharmaceutical distribution. The National Drug Code (NDC) was
developed as a universal identification system for pharmaceutical
products distributed in the U.S. Since 1969, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has required that all drug products be
identified clearly with the NDC, which provides pharmaceutical
products with a unique all-numeric system identifying the
pharmaceutical source, product and package size. Because the
industry uses the NDC to order, track and report on pharmaceutical
products, bar coding of this number has provided a faster and more
accurate way to move both products and information.
The NDC for prescription pharmaceuticals is the single basic
identifier for all forms of pharmaceutical products in the health
industry. Pharmacy computer systems, third-party prescription
claims processing, and sale tracking, reporting and industry
support services typically use the NDC to identify, describe and
pay for pharmaceutical services. For pharmacy providers,
legislation now mandates the use of the NDC for all Medicaid
claims. The Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement
Administration require monthly reporting of all incoming and
outgoing controlled substance transactions and inventories on a
system which mandates use of NDC numbers. From drug manufacturer to
wholesaler to drug provider, computer systems are often required to
depend on NDC numbers for identifying what is being ordered, paid,
returned and credited. It is a proven method of enhancing the
efficiency and accuracy of pharmaceutical distribution.
The NDC, by federal regulation, is a 10-digit numeric code preceded
with the letter N or letters NDC. It consists of three numeric
fields of information: a source identification field, a product
identification field, and a trade package field. The FDA assigns
the labeler portion of the code, while the labeler assigns the
product identification and trade package portions according to
format standards.
The FDA originally assigned the source identification field as four
digits, starting at 0002. The system was designed not to exceed a
source identification field of 0999. When it became apparent to the
FDA that the number of product sources applying for labeler codes
would exceed 0999, they reformatted the source I.D. field to
comprise a five-digit numeric field beginning with 10000.
The product identification and trade package fields together
comprise five digits, with the product identification field being
three or four digits and the trade package field being two or
one.
The NDC is presented in one of three formats: 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or 5-4-1
referred to in order of the above-identified three fields. The
first field of four or five numbers corresponds to the source
identification field. The next field of three or four numbers
corresponds to the product identification field. The final field of
one or two numbers corresponds to the trade package field.
Whenever an NDC is printed, all leading, imbedded and trailing
zeros must be included. Each of the three fields are typically
separated by a hyphen when printed in a human readable fonn, for
example, 51999-432-10 for a 5-3-2 NDC number.
In their catalogs and on price lists, manufacturers and labelers
are encouraged to include NDC numbers for each listed item.
Labelers are typically urged to discontinue use of internal or
traditional list, order or product numbers, as these identifiers
are not generic to the pharmaceutical industry.
Because the NDC is the single basic means of product identification
for all pharmaceutical products, it is desirable to have the NDC
numbers encoded into a bar code and labeled onto products.
Therefor, drug manufacturers and labelers are urged to identify
their drug products with an NDC and to encode this number in bar
code formats. However, there are many different bar code types as
shown by example in FIG. 1 and a growing number of applications for
each. Problems have arisen in that the various bar code types have
different character lengths which do not correspond to the
ten-digit NDC number.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention relates to a system for accurately
dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy comprising a computer, a
reader operably interconnected to the computer, at least one of the
reader and the computer adapted to detect and read indicia, and a
converter operably interconnected to at least one of the computer
and the reader for converting read indicia into an NDC number. The
reader preferably reads the indicia from at least one of a package
containing pharmaceutical products and a prescription. The read
indicia is thereby standardized to an NDC number to ensure accuracy
during the dispensation of a prescriptions in the pharmacy.
In various embodiments, the reader can comprise a scanner. The
indicia can comprise a bar code. The converter can further comprise
a database containing at least one table for converting the read
indicia into an NDC number. Means for storing a first indicia and a
second indicia can be provided as well as means for comparing the
first indicia and the second indicia after both have been converted
to NDC numbers by the converter. An alarm device for alerting an
operator of the system can be employed if the an NDC number
representing the first indicia does not match an NDC number
representing the second indicia. The computer, reader and converter
can be contained in a single housing.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of accurately
dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy having a computerized
prescription dispensing system including a scanner and having an
inventory of pharmaceutical products including the steps of:
receiving a prescription for a patient identifying a desired
pharmaceutical product and a desired dosage of the desired
pharmaceutical product; entering first data representative of the
prescription into the dispensing system; converting the first data
into a first NDC number; retrieving the desired pharmaceutical
product from the inventory; scanning a bar code on the desired
pharmaceutical product with the scanner to convert the bar code
into second data representative of the bar code; converting the
second data into a second NDC number; and comparing the first NDC
number with the second NDC number.
In various embodiments of the invention, the method can further
comprise the step of alerting an operator of the pharmacy if the
first NDC number does not equal the second NDC number. The method
can also further comprise the step of dispensing the prescription
to the patient if the first NDC number equals the second NDC
number. A label can be printed describing the prescription for
application to a container containing the dispensed prescription.
The steps of scanning and converting to the first and second NDC
numbers and the step of comparing the first and second NDC numbers
can be performed internally of at least one of the computerized
prescription dispensing system and the scanner. The method can
further comprise the step of verifying the correct amount of the
desired pharmaceutical product has been dispensed to the patient in
accordance with the desired dosage. The first data can be used from
a previously-dispensed prescription a refill label on a
previously-dispensed patient refill bottle. The first data can be
scanned from a bar code used for a previously-dispensed
prescription.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a view of several different types of bar codes shown with
the name of the type of bar code shown therewith;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a medicine bottle having a bar code
thereon;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a small box having a bar code
thereon;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shrink wrapped package of
multiple medicine bottles having a bar code thereon;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a large carton having a bar code
thereon;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a typical computer system
incorporating a scanner therein;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a prior art scanning device shown
reading a typical bar code;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an improved scanning device
according to the invention;
FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the method of converting a bar
code to a standardized NDC number,
FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the process of standardizing
an input string into a first string;
FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the process for eliminating
non-standard characters from the input string;
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the process of standardizing a
bar code of UPC format;
FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating the process of standardizing a
bar code of Code 128 format;
FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating the process of standardizing a
bar code of Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, and other bar code
formats; and
FIG. 15 illustrates a second method of comparing two bar code
indicia.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention comprises the converting of a bar code of any
of the formats shown in FIG. 1 to a standardized 11-digit NDC
number while simultaneously ensuring accurate entry of data
relating to the pharmaceutical product into a computer system. As
shown in FIG. 9, the first basic step 100 involves reading a bar
code in the form of machine-readable data Such a bar code is
typically found on the source's medication container. Bar codes on
a source's bulk medication container can contain a bar code in a
UPC symbol format or any of the other formats shown in FIG. 1. The
manipulating of the data contained in the bar code into an NDC
output format 101, comprises a step 102 of converting a bar code
indicia into an input string, a step 104 of setting the first
string to null, and a step 106 of standardizing the input string
into a first string. Finally, as shown in step 108, the NDC output
format 101 of the manipulated bar code is sent to a processing unit
on a computer 38, as illustrated in FIG. 6. It will be understood
that, although a particular scanning unit 40 and computer system 38
is disclosed in the drawings, any type of scanning unit having an
internal or external connection to a processor can be used without
departing from the scope of this invention. This includes a
scanning device having all processing and memory elements contained
in a unitary configuration or separate components, as shown in FIG.
6.
The step 106 of standardizing an input string into a first string
may be broken down into a number of additional steps illustrated in
FIG. 10. First, as shown by step 110, the type of bar code must be
identified. Second, as shown by step 112, any check digits present
in the alphanumeric string read by the bar code must be eliminated.
Third, any other digits not contained in an 11-digit NDC number
must be eliminated as shown by step 114.
The following paragraphs outline the rules for converting a bar
code into an NDC number depending upon the type of bar code read by
a scanning device in accordance with a further breakdown of steps
110, 112, and 114. FIG. 11 in an expansion of step 110, wherein it
will be understood that the scanning device has the ability to
recognize a particular type of bar code.
At step 116, the device determines if the bar code indicia is equal
to UPC format. If it is, then the formatting rules for the UPC
format are followed at block 118 as illustrated in greater detail
in FIG. 12. Alternatively, at step 120, if the bar code indicia is
Code 128 format then the formatting rules for the Code 128 format
are followed at block 122 as illustrated in greater detail in FIG.
13. If the bar code indicia is instead of Code 39 format as
determined at step 124, then the formatting rules for the Code 39
format are followed at block 126 as shown in greater detail in FIG.
14. At step 128, the device determines if the bar code Indicia is
of Interleaved 2 of 5 format. If so, then the formatting rules of
block 130 are followed as also shown in FIG. 14. Finally, at step
132 the device determines if the bar code indicia are of any other
recognized format. If so, then the formatting rules represented by
block 134 are followed. Thus, the device calls upon one of the
following format rules represented by blocks 118, 122, 126, 130, or
134, respectively, depending upon the type of bar code read. If the
particular type of bar code cannot be recognized, the system
returns an error at point 136 and the process ends.
For a UPC formatted bar code represented by block 118, the scanner
reads the bar code at step 100 and converts it into an input string
of the ten digits contained in a UPC bar code at step 102. Then to
standardize the input string into a first string in a break down of
steps 112 and 114, the specific approach illustrated in FIG. 12 is
utilized. The first or lead character of the inputted string is
identified at decision point 140. If the first character is a zero,
then a zero is inserted at the beginning of the bar code at 142 and
the ten characters of the alphanumeric string are appended thereto
at 144 and sent to the process unit as shown by step 108. If the
lead character is not a zero, then at decision point 146 the device
determines if the first five characters of the input string are a
replacement group. If the answer is no, then the device determines
at decision point 150 if the first five characters in the
alphanumeric string read by the scanning device are a predetermined
group of, such as, but not limited to, 59911, 51875, 59930, 59762,
58634, 51672, 59366, or 59772. If the answer is yes, then the
device sends the first eight digits of the inputted alphanumeric
string from the bar code as shown by point 152, then a zero as
shown by point 154, and then the remaining two characters of the
alphanumeric string as shown by point 156 to create the first
string. Then the first string is sent to the processing unit as
shown by point 108.
If the first five characters of the input string comprise a
replacement group at decision point 146, then the first five digits
must be replaced with a substitute string as shown at point 148.
For example, it has been found that if the first five digits are in
the group of, but not limited to, 28176, 12899 and 47228, then the
device must substitute the strings 51285, 55953 and 55053,
respectively. This substitution is made for the purpose of
converting a particular source's bar code to that source's NDC
number. It will be understood that additional substitute NDC
numbers can be provided in a database or other look-up table as
required. Then, the process continues to decision step 150 as
discussed above.
For UPC symbols wherein the first five characters of the input
string are not a predetermined group at decision point 150, the
scanning device will send the first five characters of the inputted
string as shown at point 160, then a zero as shown at point 162,
and then the remaining five characters of the UPC string as shown
at point 164. Then the first string is sent to the processing unit
as shown by point 108. Thus, in all cases, an 11-digit NDC number
is produced and transmitted to the processing unit. For a code 128
formatted bar code represented by block 122, the scanner reads the
bar code at step 100 and converts it into an input string. As shown
in FIG. 13, for bar codes in Code 128 format, the bar codes
typically produce either 10 or 15 alphanumeric characters when read
by a scanning device. For a Code 128 bar code with 10 characters,
the scanning device transmits a zero shown at step 166 followed by
the ten digits of the inputted string. At decision point 168 the
device confirms that the input string has 10 characters and then
appends the ten characters of the input string to the first string
at step 170. The first string is then sent to the processing unit
as shown by step 108.
For bar codes in Code 128 format with 15 characters, the scanning
device transmits a zero as shown at step 166, confirms that the
input string has 15 characters at decision point 168 and then
appends ten sequential characters of the input string beginning
with the fourth character and ending with the thirteenth character
as shown at step 172. The first string is then sent to the
processing unit as shown by step 108.
For bar codes in Code 39 format represented by block 126, the
scanner reads the bar code at step 100 and converts it into an
input string. For bar codes in Code 39 format, the inputted
alphanumeric string typically produces fifteen characters. As shown
in FIG. 14, the scanning device transmits a zero as shown at point
176 in FIG. 14, followed by ten characters selected from the input
alphanumeric string comprising the fourth through thirteenth
characters therefrom as shown at point 178. The first string is
then sent to the processing unit as shown by step 108.
For bar codes in Interleaved 2 of 5 format, represented by block
130, the bar codes typically produce a 14-character alphanumeric
string. For these types of bar codes, the scanner reads the bar
code at step 100 and converts it into an input string. The scanning
device transmits a zero as shown at step 176, followed by the
fourth through thirteenth characters in the inputted alphanumeric
string as shown at point 178. The first string is then sent to the
processing unit as shown by step 108.
For all other bar codes, represented by block 134 in FIG. 14, the
scanning device transmits a zero as shown at step 180, followed by
the first ten characters of the inputted alphanumeric string as
shown by step 182 to form the 11-digit NDC number. Once again, the
first string is then sent to the processing unit as shown by step
108.
A second embodiment of a method according to this invention
compares a bar code on a source's pharmaceutical container with a
bar code on a patient's prescription bottle, receipt or
prescription which was printed by a pharmacy or doctor's office to
verify that a correct prescription was dispensed.
As illustrated in FIG. 15, the second embodiment of a method
comprises the step 100 of reading a first bar code from a first
label. The first bar code is manipulated into an NDC output format
or number 101 by the first embodiment of the method outlined above.
The NDC number 101 is transmitted to the processing unit as shown
by step 108 described above. The number 101 is then stored therein
as shown at point 200. A second bar code is read from a label from
a different container or prescription bottle or receipt by means of
step 100. The second bar code is also manipulated into an NDC
number 101 and transmitted to the processing unit and stored
therein as shown by the repetition of steps 108 and 200. The first
and second manipulated NDC numbers 101 are then compared at step
202 to determine whether they match. As shown at decision point
204, if the first and second NDC numbers 101 match, a confirmation
signal 206 is sent. Alternatively, an alert signal 208 is sent.
It will be understood that the processing unit can be located in a
conventional computer workstation as described in the Background
section or, alternatively, located in the scanning unit itself. For
the latter option, greater convenience can be had by the operator
because the scanning mechanism and processing unit are located in a
single housing.
Thus, bar codes in varying formats from different sources can be
converted into a standard NDC number and compared to determine
whether the pharmaceutical products identified in each of the first
and second bar codes are indeed the same product. It can thereby be
verified that a patient has received a correct product and dosage.
Otherwise, the pharmacist or pharmacy technician will receive an
alarm before an incorrect product is dispensed.
It is contemplated that the scanner employed in connection with
this invention be any type of suitable scanner capable of reading
bar code indicia into a processing unit. Further, it is also
contemplated that the scanner employed in connection with this
invention be capable of reading all of, but not limited to, the bar
code types displayed in FIG. 1. These bar codes include typical
one-dimensional bar codes such as code 39 and code 128,
two-dimensional bar codes such as PDF 417, and fill height and
truncated UPC-A-EAN-13 symbols as shown in FIG. 1. Further, it is
also contemplated that the scanner can read new types of bar codes
such as three-dimensional bar codes by means of an imaging
mechanism incorporated into the scanner or other means currently
known or developed.
This invention also addresses the problem of updating a scanner's
memory to reflect recent changes or additions to frequently
changing bar code conversion information or routines stored in the
scanner. Scanning devices, such as that shown as 40 in FIGS. 6-7,
are typically provided with a memory chip (not shown) therein
having a bank of random access memory (RAM) therein. Critical
information, such as bar code recognition software and alphanumeric
output programs, is loaded into the RAM and stored. Pharmaceutical
suppliers and vendors often load information pertaining to
recognition of specific bar code content as well, such as software
which recognizes particular bar codes or a data bank of common bar
codes.
As new bar code information becomes available, it must be
downloaded into the RAM of the scanner 40. This process can be
tedious, especially if a large volume or several smaller volumes of
changes are required.
FIG. 8 shows an example of improved scanner 64 according to the
invention which comprises a housing 66 having a laser port 68 and a
handle 70. The scanner 64 is shown emitting a beam 70 over a bar
code 72 as is conventionally done in the art. A distal end 74 of
the handle 70 is provided with a removable panel 76 thereon. The
panel 76 includes a substrate 78 which mounts a
orthogonally-extending removable circuit 80 having a connector 82
thereon. The panel 76 is adapted to be inserted into the handle 70
and interconnected to the internal circuitry of the scanner 64 via
the connector 82. The removable panel 76 can be positioned at any
suitable location on the scanner 64 so that the panel 76 can be
easily removed and does not interfere with any required connections
to external components.
The circuit 80 is preferably a removable integrated circuit chip
which can be removed and replaced with a new chip having any new
bar code data stored thereon in addition to any older information
to be retained. Thus, when new information becomes available, it
can be mass produced in a new chip which thereby can be mounted to
the panel 76 and inserted into the scanner 64. Thus, the need for a
complicated reprogramming procedure for the scanner is
eliminated.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown, it
will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited
thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in the
art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Reasonable
variation and modification are possible within the scope of the
foregoing disclosure of the invention without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
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